Vecchio and Kowalski Case: A to O to Z
by Sidhbh
Summary: A case of two missing princesses turns more personal when someone from the O.Z. comes to find them.


Detective Stanley Raymond Kowalski sat with his head buried in his desk. This pain was nagging him. Too much fried food, replied the head-voice that Ray had now associated more with Fraser than his mother. He should call his mother.

He chanced rising his head to make said call when he spotted Elaine, complete in her uniform, which suited the hell out of her. She held a file in her hands.

"A case. Walk in. Young women, twenty, twenty six, dark hair, one with brown eyes, other with blue, pale skin, gone missing. Family says two week visit has turned into a month, getting antsy. I've got them in interrogation one."

"Thanks, Elaine. VECCHIO!"

"YEAH! I'M COMING!"

Ray allowed Elaine to lead him to the interrogation room. "I think he's coming," he told Elaine.

Elaine laughed.

The deep-throated "YOU!" was the only warning Ray got before he was sprawled on the floor, a heavy weight on top of him. Elaine cried out his name, trying to pull the other guy off and shield Ray from another one.

"HELP!" That was Elaine. Ray was so surprised that he could do little more than try to deflect the blows away.

Eventually, other Uniforms came in and managed to pull the two men off. They were glaring at him. It made his blood run cold. "W...what did I do?" he asked, his voice shaking.

This seemed to enrage them more. "What did you do? What did you do? You killed my wife! And that's just one of your crimes!"

"Crimes?" Jack repeated, looking at Ray battered on the floor. "Kowalski?"

Ray shook his head. "When undercover?" Vecchio asked, soft in understanding.

"No," Ray whispered, making an attempt to wipe the blood from his nose.

"His real name is Zero!" the younger one growled.

"Zero?" they all, including Ray, repeated.

"What the hell kinda name is that?" Ray asked. "That is the most dumbass name I've heard in my life! Who would come up with that name?"

"You... did," said the older man, looking uncertain for the first time.

"Some kind of trick," the young one managed.

"What the HELL is going on here?" Welsh demanded, looking so furious that Kowalski shot up. He groaned in pain as he did, though. "Kowalski?" the fury vanishing in favour of concern. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, sir."

"Vecchio, you get Ray and Elaine fixed up. YOU!" Welsh jabbed a finger at the two attackers. "MY OFFICE, NOW! You're going to explain why you attacked one my best men."

The pair shifted to the door, their eyes not leaving Ray. "Move it!" Ray Vecchio insisted, shoving them out of the way.

A man in a hood stepped towards Ray. "Hey!" Ray called out, scared from the attack.

"Raw help," a voice muttered from the dark folds. A hand reached out for Ray.

"It's ok," another man, hiding curls under a ridiculous hat. "It's not going to hurt."

Ray gasped. "What do ya mean 'it's not going to hurt'?" Frannie asked, panicked by his reaction.

"Was hurt. Ok now."

"Frannie, it's ok. I'm good. See?" The Hood was finishing off Elaine when he fell backwards. "Whoa!" Ray caught him. "Are you ok, Mister...uh?" The hood fell back. "Uh... Mr Furry Guy."

"What is that?"

"That is not diplomacy, Vecchio," Ray shot back. "This is... uh?"

"Raw."

"This is Raw. And he made me and Elaine all better."

"Yeah, not before his friends hurt you in the first place," Vecchio snarled back.

"Cain thought you someone else. Hurt him. Hurt family. Kill wife."

"Ray wouldn't hurt a fly," Frannie dismissed the thought.

Ray wasn't sure of that remark. "Hey! I kick some ass. But no murder... I don't do that."

"Raw know. Ray good man."

The curly-haired guy. "Ambrose," Raw informed him without prompting, Ambrose clapped.

"Right! Now, we could use your help!"

"Who the hell are you people, to come into my station and beat up on my guys?" Welsh growled at them. "Decorated cops! One of them even just after she got out of the academy!"

"We didn't mean to hurt her," the young one spoke up.

"Oh!" Welsh put as much sarcasm as he could manage in his tone. "Well! That's all right. It was an accident! While you were hit MY GUY you 'didn't mean' to hurt my other guy!" There was a knock at the door. "WHAT?"

"Uh, sir."

"Kowalski. You ok?"

"Yes, sir," he brought Raw in, his hood replaced. "He, uh, took care of it."

"Raw read Ray. Ray is Ray. Not Zero."

"Mind explaining this to me, Detective?"

"Ok, uh, apparently, these guys are from a different universe or something and this guy is a Viewer? Yeah. And, uh, he healed me and Elaine."

"Ah."

"Apparently, there's this guy, Zero, in the Outer Zone? In the Outer Zone. Looks like me, only got this attitude problem."

"Oh, you with an attitude problem. That's scary."

"What am I, a kitten?"

"What are you doing here...?" Welsh asked the man in the fedora, ignoring Ray.

"Cain. Wyatt Cain. This is my son, Jeb. We're here to rescue princesses."

"Princesses. And how is beating up my detectives furthering this cause? Zero guy over on my side?"

"We're... not sure. But when we saw him..."

"Ya whaled on me."

Cain nodded. "I still haven't heard an apology," Welsh growled.

The Cains exchanged looks. "We're sorry."

"Once more, with feeling," Ray muttered. "Look, apparently, these girls have been missing for a month. So how bout we stop with the chitchat and get with the looking?"

"You ok to be working on this case?" Welsh asked seriously.

Ray looked over at Raw and shrugged. "Yeah, I got Vecchio. And if they get outta line, we can always sic Frannie on 'em."

"A fate worse than death. Ok, you two can go. Don't slip up."

"Come on."

The entire squad room gave them death-glares as they stepped out. Probably more to do with Elaine than Ray. Ray led them to his desk. "Ok. Mind telling me why they were here? Um... was there an itinerary for their visit to the Windy City?"

"Shopping and theatre, I think."

"Ok."

"Hey!" Frannie walked over and promptly knocked Cain's hat off his head. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Hey, Frannie," Ray greeted her.

"You come here, beat up on my friends?!" Frannie ignored him.

"Mistaken identity, ma'am."

"Ooh! Don't call her ma'am," Ray shook his head.

"Mistaken Identity?! He look like Jeffery Dalmer to you?"

"I got an evil twin, Frannie," Ray explained, finally taking pity on him. "Apparently, he killed his wife and his son."

"An evil twin?"

"Yeah, you know, like Armando for this guy," he pointed at Vecchio.

"They say everybody's got one," Vecchio mused.

"I wonder what my evil twin is like," Frannie asked.

Kowalski laughed and gave her shoulders a squeeze. "Frannie, you are the evil twin." Frannie grabbed Cain's hat again and smacked him with it. He laughed. "We've got work to do, Frannie. But thanks," he added quietly.

"I'm worried about Elaine," Frannie protested, though she had an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah, yeah, stop coming onto my sister, Stanley. Down to business. We should start from their accommodations," Vecchio suggested.

Kowalski nodded. "You know where that is?"

After a second's hesitation, Wyatt pulled out a piece of paper. Kowalski looked at it before handing it over to Vecchio. Vecchio looked at Cain. "Stay here while we go check this out."

"We're going with you," Cain replied.

Vecchio laughed. "After what you pulled? You really gonna start with the demands?"

"I was supposed to protect them," Cain admitted. "That was my job. Please."

Vecchio glared at him. "Ask him. Nicely."

Cain took a breath and faced Ray. "I'm a trained tracker and I'm a former cop. I can help. Please."

Kowalski dipped his head. "Dunno, Vecchio, we've used a tracker before kinda successfully."

"Yeah. Dunno if lightening will strike twice though," Vecchio responded, not shy about his evil eye.

"We'd uh, have to take both our cars."

"Fine. I'll take these two. You take the furry one and daft one. You'll fit right in."

"Oh, was that a joke, Vecchio? That was funny. I'll be laughing any minute now, you'll see."

"Hey, where's he going?"

"Ma'am?" Cain approached Elaine. She stood stock-still, tense. "I'd like to apologise for my behaviour. I had no desire to hurt you."

"Me neither ma'am," Jeb agreed. "Not our intention. We've got no excuse."

Elaine looked over at Ray before looking back at the Cains. "Ok. I, uh, have work to do."

They deserved that. "Let's go," Wyatt told Vecchio before walking out.

"Did he just order me again?"

"Yup."

"Dad doesn't know how to let go," Jeb remarked quietly. "Neither do I." He followed his father out.

Ray stared after him for a second. "Was that a threat?" But the others had gone. "Oh. Ok." He ran for his car.

Vecchio arrived first, and strong armed the receptionist guy to let them in. Ray got Raw in without him being seen. First thing that Ray did was check the table for the mail, leafing through it. "Two days worth," he murmured. "Junk mail. One bill."

"Jeez, look at all the makeup. All this to make you look like you got nothing on. Nude is in," Ray told Kowalski.

"I'm going to do you a favour and not going to ask how you know that," Kowalski remarked.

"Yeah, well, there's only so much defence against Frannie's monologues," he replied. "Beds are cold."

"So they were here two days ago, but probably not since."

Vecchio nodded before looking over at Cain. The man's face was carefully blank and Ray looked back at his partner. Kowalski nodded. It was obvious, this Cain guy was in love with one of the princesses.

"This is greatness," Kowalski tried a cautious smile. "Means we got a trail to follow."

Cain frowned slightly. "But we're still racing against time."

"Come on, Tin Man!" Ambrose snorted. "Nothing wrong with a little optimism!" He opened a closet and screeched.

They forgave him immediately, it wasn't easy not to make like the first woman on the scene when a body tumbled at you from the closet. Kowalski reached for a pulse, following procedure, even though the guy was stiff and an ugly shade of grey. He swallowed the bile that rose when he felt the cold marble texture of the body. "Dead. For maybe two days."

"I'll call it in," Vecchio volunteered.

Kowalski nodded, not looking up, scared he might catch a glimpse of the dead guy's face, and his sunken eyes and whatever else happened to a body when it gave up. He quietly searched the guy's pockets. "Recognise the guy?" it occurred Ray to ask, even as he pulled out receipts and the average debris of suits and things.

Jeb glared at the man who couldn't look at the body, as if he were scared. "He was their bodyguard."

"Their minder, huh? Was he the only one?"

"Haven't you ever seen a dead body before?" Jeb snarled at him. "I thought you were a cop."

Kowalski glared at him. "I'm also human, maybe that's something you've forgotten about."

"CSU's on its way," Vecchio was back. "Got anything from the body?"

"Gum. Uh... receipts for... food. Clothes. Makeup."

"The guy was their handbag too, huh? Name?"

"Chubb," Jeb spoke. "Walter Chubb."

"Another Zoner?" Vecchio asked. Jeb nodded. "So he was collateral."

"Why?" Kowalski asked.

"Bodyguards tend to get in the way when you try to kidnap someone," a bemused Cain replied.

"No. Why the kidnapping? Uh... I mean, you got no ransom, right? What good are princesses without a ransom? Guy wants to start a collection?"

"Why not just kill them here," Vecchio nodded, getting Kowalski's point.

"Maybe they were," Cain grumbled.

"No. Raw sense fear, not much pain. Only Chubb die."

"Yeah, besides, it'd be fairly brainless to clean up after the princesses and then forget that they got a body in the closet," Kowalski agreed.

"Can you get a sense of them, now, Raw?" Cain ignored Ray's tone. Not Zero. Not Zero.

"Fear and pain, but live." The CSU arrived.

"Look, uh, we should check these places out." He held up the receipts.

"Question reception," Raw advised.

"He know something?"

"Fears Kowalski."

"Again with the assuming nobody scared of me," Kowalski sighed. "Ok." He walked out.

"What are ya looking at me for!" Vecchio realised. He waved his arms in the direction of the door, ushering them out. "Mush! Yeeha! Or whatever they say in your universe! Go! Go! Go!"

Ray really didn't like how the guy shivered when Ray approached him, alone. Whatever was keeping the others, Ray used it. "Hi. Uh... Have I been here before?"

The receptionist, Gary, looked at him like he had a screw loose. Figuring this as a test, Gary swallowed. "Uh... no, sir! I have never seen you before." And a theatrical, hammy wink followed.

Ray brought his hand up to his face and roughly rubbed it. "Look, uh..." he tried a different tack. "I, uh... I hit my head see. And now I'm trying to you know, retrace my steps. Because I remember seeing a couple of dark-haired girls, one of them with like, deep, brown eyes and the other's got blue. Now, I'm back, and they're not, and see I think something may have happened to them, so could you help?"

Gary stared at him. He glanced over at others arriving and the uniform being stationed nearby. Finally, he nodded, he believed him. "I don't know much... but there's a camera in the lift. I can get it for you."

"Greatness. Thank you kindly."

Gary smiled and went to get his tape. "Thank you kindly?" Vecchio smirked.

"Shut up. Zero was here. I needed the Big Guns." Gary returned and Ray thanked him again.

"Kowalski?" Ray asked him. "I wanna check on my snitches. Something tells me that this Zero guy isn't the kinda guy to stay in the background. You ok getting the Flock back to the Pen?"

Kowalski's shoulders slumped. "Why can't I do that and you do this?"

Vecchio laughed. "Cause we really don't have time to deal with your snitches getting killed!"

"That only happened twice... three... Ok." He opened his GTO. "ALL ABOARD!" Jeb glared at him. "Just get in the car!" It was hard to feel for a kid who hated him that much.  
"Raw help," Raw offered when Ray got in.

"You already have helped, there, Raw," Ray muttered, starting the machine up, though he was glad the Viewer had decided to sit near him. And Ambrose was the guy directly behind his back, in his Ridiculous Hat.

"Help Cain and Jeb understand," Raw clarified.

"Like me busting my gut isn't enough?" Ray growled. "Like me fucking caring after they beat me and my friend to a bloody pulp isn't enough? Screw the pair of them, Raw. I'm just going to find these princesses, and I'm gonna take care of that Zero and I'm not going to give a shit.

"You and me are buddies, Raw, and Ambrose is ok with me, but if it's not ok with the Cains then that's just the way things are. I am greatness." He started the car and pulled out.

"You're ok with me. Ray," Cain spoke up, his voice quiet.

"Dad!"

"Son. He's right. He's stuck his neck out for us. And we've treated him like dirt for it. It's time we stop. Son?" He sighed when Jeb refused to respond. "I'm sorry, Ray."

"Yeah, well, good." Ray sighed. "Thanks." Despite himself, he felt relieved that Cain was ok with him. Made things easier.

"Vecchio? You ok, buddy?" Ray immediately saw that his partner was white as a sheet. "Jesus, what have you found?"

"Uh..."

"Frannie, get your brother a drink of something, ok?"

Frannie was by his side in a matter of seconds, apparently already anticipated the request. "Here, Ray, drink this."

Vecchio drank. "Ray, buddy, tell me," Kowalski used the voice meant for victims.

"He doesn't look hurt, Ray," Frannie told him and Kowalski nodded.

"Armando."

"Your evil twin?" Cain asked. Vecchio just nodded.

"No, Pike told me he was dead. And he's all spymaster and stuff." Ok, so he didn't know that Nautilus was this little old lady despite having followed her for twenty years or something and he got the tattoo on the wrong arm but this? This is stuff he'd know. Right?

"That's what they told me," Vecchio agreed softly.

"Look, ok, we know now, right?" Kowalski scrambled. "And he probably doesn't know that we know. So we get moving on this ok? And you're the exact guy to help us do this."

Vecchio's eyes lost that vacant look and levelled a glare directly at Cain. "What aren't you telling us?" He got up off the chair. "Why were the princesses really kidnapped?"

"Don't know what you're talking about."

Vecchio turned to Ambrose, who swallowed. "Ambrose, my friend. We're missing a vital piece of the puzzle here. And you're missing your princesses. Maybe we could help each other out?"

"Sure!" Ambrose gave a shrug. "With what?"

Dealing with Turnbull, if nobody else, gave him a sense of how to deal with guys with Ambrose: eternally innocent but a little off. "Your princess are being held by this bad guy. I know this bad guy like I know me. And he's not the kidnapping and ransom kind. He's in it for the money."

"Well, I'd imagine it's got something to do with their magic."

"Magic." Ray smiled.

"Magic?" Frannie repeated. "Like David Copernicus?"

"Copperfield, Frannie. And no. More like healing me without a scratch."

"Oh."

"So we got a marketable skill," Ray said. "Which means they're going to keep the girls alive for as long it takes. Is there any way you can track them down? What do you need?"

"Raw only get a sense. Not locator."

"Nah," Vecchio shrugged. "I got a lead. Come on." He stopped beside Cain. "Hide something from us again and I'll throw you into a cell for obstruction. You know what that means?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Let's go."

"Good lead," Raw remarked outside the warehouse. "Sense DG. Azkadellia... pain." The Viewer winced. "Great pain. Needs help."

"I'm going in," Ray volunteered.

"Of course you are," Jeb snarled.

"Do you want me to hit him?" Vecchio offered.

Kowalski smirked before turning to Raw. "Zero or Armando in there?"

"Not know. Zero shielded. Armando," he focused, Armando was tougher to pick out, Raw having never met the man. "Armando there."

"Guess that means I gotta go in alone," Ray decided.

"No!" Vecchio objected. "You gotta wait for back up!"

"You heard Raw, they're hurting one the girls, we gotta get in there now. Zero's not going to raise any eyebrows, is he?"

"You're not Zero," Vecchio reminded him. Jeb scoffed at that. Both Rays' fists clenched. "Really, Kid, you're starting to push my generous supplies of patience."

"I'm not afraid of you," Jeb retorted.

"Yeah, no doubt you've got that killer thing that we don't got," Kowalski sniped at him.

"That's right," Jeb folded his arms. He frowned, realising what he was saying. "Look. I didn't want to... you think I wanted to be this way, huh? Think I wanted my dad to be killed! Or think he was? My mom's neck snapped!? Be alone... I led a Resistance Army against a totalitarian regime before I was twenty! What the hell were you doing, huh?"

"Getting married," Ray Kowalski murmured. His head dipped.

"Lost twenty pounds," Vecchio followed suit.

"Good for you!" Ambrose told them. "Those are some achievements."

"Thanks, Ambrose," they murmured.

Kowalski smiled at Ray. "Look. We gotta go in. Now. Before Zerokins returns home to Army."

"Yeah, right. Damn it, Kowalski. Look, just go in there. I'll call for backup and we'll behind you. Ok? We'll be right behind you."

"Don't worry, buddy," Ray smiled at his partner. "I'll give you a call when I find them, ok?"

"Ok."

Raw's hand went on his shoulder. "Show you Zero," he explained.

"Jeez, guy wouldn't know a good haircut if it shot out of his belt!" With great reluctance, Ray mussed up his hair and put it the way Zero had it. He shook his shoulders and suddenly, there was Zero.

"Get going, Kowalski." Ray gave him a deadly smirk before disappearing towards the warehouse.

"That's quite a change," Cain asked Ray as soon as he was gone.

"Yeah, well, we may not have killed anybody, but undercover takes its toll, you know? But trust me, he's one of the good guys." He made the call then. "Ok," he continued, snapping the phone shut. "We wait for the call and then we go in."

Ray walked in, looking like he owned the place. Raw's info was useful because it even came included with emotional residue. So Ray actually knew how to feel like Zero felt.

"Glad you're back, sir," one of the men joined him. "Languistini's getting antsy."

"Ooh! Getting 'antsy', is he?"

"Shame the Sorceress is dead, sir, she'd give him reasons to be worried."

"Shame," Ray sighed. "I wanna see the princesses."

"In good time," Ray swallowed his surprise when he saw Armando Languistini. The bastard looked just like him, even now. Was he even in the accident? "Been with the locals too long, Zero, you're starting to pick up their accent."

Ray folded his arms and gave him an asking look. What do you want? The manoeuvre had its desired effect - irritating Armando and solidifying the idea of 'Zero'. The silence stretched until Armando finally gave up. "Where is it?"

"I haven't got it," Ray replied. Of course, that was because he had no idea what that was.

"Then what are you doing here?" Armando growled.

"Cops," Ray replied. "Looks like they found the body. And I saw Cain."

"Cain?" his 'friend' repeated.

"Who the hell is Cain?"

"From the Outer Zone," Ray was full of exaggerated patience. "He has a thing with me. Mostly me killing his wife, but that's probably the least of it."

"He's sweet on the youngest princess," the colleague added.

"So he's mad-dogging you," Armando nodded. "It's good. Good you came back."

"You understand. I'm going to 'talk' to the princesses."

"Why?" Ray just smirked and walked to where Raw instructed him they'd be. Armando muttered something in Italian behind him. Ray's smirk widened slightly. He knew what that stuff meant. Vecchio taught him.

He stepped inside, closing whatever guards out. His heart sank when he saw the two girls. One of them was curled up on the floor, clearly broken in all sorts of ways. The other was easier to look at, not because her bruises were any less but the bile with which she was glaring at him. "What the hell do you want?" she spat.

"To rescue you," Ray whispered softly. "Cain sent me."

"Cain? What are you talking about?"

"You're the one that spent her life on the Other Side or this side or whatever you wanna call it. What we got here is a Mirror Universe scenario," he suggested, making sure he kept his distance. He kept looking at Azkadellia, half panicked.

"Star Trek's on all the time, Zero," DG insisted, wincing as she pushed herself towards Azkadellia.

Ray sighed. He was worried. "Look, I ain't got time for this." DG flinched when Ray reached into his jacket. He pulled out his phone. "Vecchio?" he spoke into it, he kept his voice quiet. "Yeah, yeah. Look put Cain on, will ya? DG wants to talk to him." He handed DG the phone before going for Azkadellia.

DG put the phone to her ear. "Cain?" her voice shook as she spoke. "Cain!" she smiled. "I'm... I'm ok. Yeah. But Az is..."

"Phone," Ray ordered. DG obeyed this time. "Cain, she's pretty bad. I'm not sure Raw should take this. Tell Vecchio to order the EMTs to get down here. Yeah. I think I'll stay here though. I don't wanna leave them. Not like this." DG could hear someone on the other side screaming his head off. Ray smirked at her. "Hey, Vecchio," he breezed. "What you want me to do? Leave them here? Can't do that, buddy." Ray's smile went soft. "Ok. I love you too." Another round of shouting. Ray hung up. "Oh, sorry, you wanted to keep talking?"

"Huh?" DG's eyes were wide. "No. It's... ok."

"Aw," a voice interrupted. "You break my heart, Kowalski," Armando snarled.

"Looks nothing like me," Zero pouted.

"Yeah, I'm much better looking," Ray shot back. "Come through the back door or something." He sniffed. "Oh, the sewers! Nice." He gave Zero a thumbs up.

Zero growled but Armando held him back. "Easy. We got fix up this mess," Armando smirked at Ray before. "Vecchio coming to rescue you?" he asked.

"Well, as he's a member of the Chicago PD, so I'm thinking he might be among them," Ray shrugged and tried not to think about he sounded like Fraser just then.

"He'll be too late," Armando replied, coolly, before raising his pistol. "Later, Dead Guy."

Before he could fire, glass rained down upon them. Ray ducked, he hadn't even noticed they had a glass roof. He fell over as Zero threw himself into him. Ray used the momentum to get a roll moving before Zero could react. He ended up on top in time for Zero's fist to hit his face. "Ow!" He kicked out as he fell back. It hit home, he thought, though it didn't matter, because when he looked up he saw Little Jeb point a gun at Zero.

"Don't move, or I'll start with the fingers." Zero grimaced but stayed still.

Kowalski flailed about before managing to get to his feet. "Fingers?" Jeb shrugged.

Ray accepted that and moved onto Vecchio who was bitching loudly while trampling over Armando. He let Kowalski add his gun to the proceedings. Zero's pal seemed to be knocked out and bits of debris were blocking the other guys from getting in. Though by now they were definitely trying.

He looked for Cain and he was beside the princesses. Well, he actually had DG in his arms and was starring as Raw tried to stabilise the other one. "We need the medics," he told Vecchio.

"Yeah, and, you know, a way outta here with our skins intact," Ray added. "What I wouldn't give for a Canadian right now."

"Should you be standing quite so close to the door?" Kowalski asked Ambrose.

"You know I was the Queen's Advisor? When you're the Queen's Advisor, Ray, you have to know how to dance."

Kowalski nodded. "I know how to dance. You know how to dance, Vecchio."

"Yeah, I got some moves."

"It's all about rhythm, don't you think?"

"And soul," Kowalski agreed.

"Exactly! Soul. You can't get rid of that just because someone's taken your brain."

"Brain gets in the way," Vecchio agreed, though he was wondering where this was going. His confusion was soon replacing with anxiousness as the door began to give way. "Get away from the door, Ambrose!"

The door gave way but before the troops could come through, Ambrose's legs flew out. It didn't take long. "Ya might have told us that you were a super-ninja warrior there, Ambrose, buddy."

"Wow," Vecchio whispered. Even Armando was impressed. The sirens weren't long after that and they took Zero and Armando back to the station in panda cars and Azkadellia was whisked to the nearest hospital.

"What's wrong, Stella?" Kowalski asked, as she came into the pen with a dark look.

"Successful case," Vecchio was equally cautious talking to her.

"Successful!"

"Well, we're obviously not experts," despite being cops, Kowalski mentally added. "But, uh, rescued the damsels in distress and arrested evil bad guys, sounds pretty successful."

"A request! From a non-existent country in a non-existent universe to extradite one Zacharias Eli Romeo Organza and fifteen of his cohorts! Who don't exist!"

"Zacharias Eli Romeo Organza?" Vecchio repeated in disbelief. "That's worse than yours." He told his partner.

"No wonder the guy turned out to be a bastard," Kowalski agreed.

"Do you have any idea how much paperwork this will be?!"

"Can't you, you know, get someone else to do it?" Vecchio asked her. "Some lawyer intern guy, tell him it'll be a learning experience or something. Once in a lifetime opportunity."

"That is evil!" Kowalski smirked, impressed with it.

"Yes!" Stella agreed. "And yet, brilliant."

Vecchio sighed and leaned back. "That's me. Bask in my evil genius."

"I need to talk to Welsh," Stella told them with a smile. Frankly, those two made the other shine somehow.

"Ray!" A familiar voice called out, followed quickly by a blur of white fur which bowled the pair over.

"Fraser!"

"Benny!"

"You're back, Frase," Kowalski was the first to recover. The two of them gave Fraser silly grins.

"Yes, Ray and Ray. I find Canada empty without either of you."

"Shucks Fraser, make a guy blush, would you?" Vecchio replied.

"I never said it was a compliment, Ray," Fraser remarked with a smile. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

The Rays exchanged glances. "Nope."

"Nah!" Vecchio agreed. "Want to get some lunch, Benny?"

"Certainly," Fraser replied, suspicious.


End file.
